We live in a time of great pressure and growing distress.  Here are two examples:

1. People are pressured to accept the COVID “vaccine”^[1] in order to keep their jobs (or to avoid fines, or be able to obtain food, etc.) because of “vaccine” mandates imposed by the government or by their employers.^[2]
   
2. People are pressured to attend the Masses^[3] of (or go to Confession to)^[4] a compromise group or priest in order to get the sacraments or to avoid being without a parish to which to belong.

When people yield to pressures such as these, they say they were “forced” to receive the COVID “vaccine”, or they say they “had no choice” except to attend the Masses of a compromise group or priest.  

But did they really have no choice?  Of course, they had a choice!  They merely did not like the alternative.  They could refuse the COVID “vaccine” even if they were fired from their jobs (or even if they had no way to obtain food, or whatever).  Or (in the other example), those people could sanctify the Sundays at home, rather than support a compromise group and receive its sacraments.  

When these people say they were “forced” to commit the sin, they really mean that they chose to do the evil deed rather than to accept the crosses and sufferings sent to them by God.  

The Church’s martyrs often were given a way to avoid being killed.  For example, many Roman martyrs were told they could avoid being killed if they simply burned a tiny amount of incense to a false god.  Instead of their glorious martyrdoms and eternal salvation, those people could have excused themselves by saying they were “forced” to burn incense to the false gods.  Plainly such an excuse would have been sinful.   Their duty was to avoid such sin even though their steadfastness in the Faith would result in their martyrdom.

But suppose the sin which is “forced” upon the person is “only” a small sin and the results from committing the sin are very great goods?  This outlook (viz., that a sin is “only” a venial sin), is a temptation from the devil!  It is always wrong to commit even the “smallest” sin in order that good can come from it.  

All sins are infinite offenses against God in three ways (and mortal sins are infinite offenses against God in a fourth way too).^[5]  We should never “slap God in the Face” in order that good might come from it.  In other words: the end does not justify the means.  

St. Paul shows this truth when he writes that some enemies of Christ spread the lie that Catholics hold that the end justifies the means.  Here are his words:

We are slandered, and as some affirm that we say: let us do evil, that there may come good.^[6]

What does the word “justify” mean?

• to provide or be a good reason for (something): to prove or show (something) to be just, right, or reasonable;
  
• to provide a good reason for the actions of (someone).^[7]

Under these broad definitions, it would seem that the end can be thought to justify the means in some circumstances.  For example: an employee is late for work and he justifies his delay, i.e., provides a good reason, when he explains that a car accident shut down the road on which he was traveling to work.

However, this is not what it means for the “end to justify the means”.  When it is claimed that the end justifies the means, this means that an outcome is so desirable that even sinful conduct is acceptable to achieve it.^[8] 

In this sense, the end never justifies the means.  In other words, we cannot truly justify committing a sin.  As St. Paul teaches this truth, we cannot “do evil that there may come good”.

Conclusion

We are soldiers of Christ!  We must be friends of God!  Let us never commit a sin (such as to receive the COVID vaccine or attend a compromise Mass) in order that good can come of it!  Properly understood, the end never justifies the means.

---